Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.

A Morro Bay estate attorney and former planning commissioner faces up to a year in jail and must surrender his law license after being convicted [] of stealing from elderly clients.

John Patrick Fennacy, 50, pleaded no contest [] to a felony charge of grand theft over $950, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing a criminal enhancement alleging he took property exceeding $65,000.

Fennacy faces a maximum of one year in San Luis Obispo County Jail, five years of formal probation, 100 hours of community service and a yet-to-be-determined amount of restitution. He must immediately forfeit his license to practice law and agree not to practice law until terms of his probation are complete.

In a complaint filed in February, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office alleged that Fennacy — whose now-defunct website had listed him as specializing in elder law and estate planning — stole at least $65,000 from a client’s trust fund.(1)

Fennacy served on the Morro Bay Planning Commission from January 2012 to May 2014 and was involved in an unsuccessful recall effort against Mayor Jamie Irons in 2013.

He was a former co-owner of Brickhouse BBQ. He handed over full ownership of the restaurant to his son last year.

Fennacy is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 8 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.

(1) The State Bar of California's Client Security Fund was established to reimburse eligible clients who have suffered a loss due to misappropriation or embezzle­ment by a California-licensed attorney.

For similar "attorney ripoff reimbursement funds" that sometimes help cover the financial mess created by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed in other states and Canada, see:

CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)

Send Any Comments To:

Special Thanks To:

The information, reporting, and commentary contained in The Home Equity Theft Reporter are intended solely to provide general information on The Home Equity Theft issues occurring throughout the United States and are based on information sources deemed reliable by The Home Equity Theft Reporter.
This weblog is not intended, nor should it be regarded by the reader, as a solicitation for business. The posts on this site are presented as general research, information and personal opinion of The Home Equity Theft Reporter and are expressly not intended, shall not constitute, and should not be regarded by anyone, as legal advice.
No claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information linked to or from this weblog are contained herein.